Aviationtoday.com: Seeing the Weather

Weather forecast for tonight: dark. Continued dark overnight, with widely scattered light by morning. That was the famous weather forecast uttered by the "Hippy Dippy Weatherman," an indelible character created by the late comedian, George Carlin. If only the weather were that, um, certain.

Pilots can’t plan for everything, especially when it involves weather. That’s why commercial operators of all types are looking for weather radar with fully automatic worldwide hazard detection.

Avionics innovations are coming to the fore that make flying more predictable. New features in the cockpit are improving safety, by significantly reducing pilot workload and enhancing weather-detection capability. Pilots are seeking more accurate hazard avoidance systems, enabling them to detect a wide variety of weather phenomena that occur around the globe and allowing flight crews to more precisely plan — in real time — long range tracks that circumvent significant weather.

New hazard detection products automatically adjust weather detection parameters for variations precipitated by time of day, time of year and geographic position. These products then use advanced radar threshold technologies to calibrate the radar returns to more accurately display actual thunderstorm threats.

All of these issues were on the agenda for Aviation Today’s Webinar, "New Horizons in Radar: The Revolution in Weather Hazard Detection," scheduled for Sept. 17 after this issue went to press. The Webinar will be recorded and archived at www.AviationToday.com, available on-demand. Unlike most of our webinars, which are pay-per-view, this particular Webinar is free. Scheduled speakers included prominent avionics engineers and a commercial pilot.

In this webinar, jointly sponsored by Aviation Today and Rockwell Collins, registrants will learn about advancements in weather hazard detection systems and how they can affect the safety — and bottom line — of their operations.

In this webinar, registrants also will learn the capabilities in weather hazard detection; how these capabilities differ from the status quo; which OEMs are embedding the latest weather hazard technology in their aircraft; the track record of weather hazard detection equipment; the leading causes of unexpected turbulence encounters and how pilots can circumvent them; the engineer’s and pilot’s perspective on these subjects; and avionics breakthroughs that are coming down the pike in the near future.

An overriding goal in weather hazard detection radar is to spot well in advance the danger of turbulence, the irregular and sometimes violent motion of air currents that can severely buffet crew and passengers. Turbulence often is linked with thunderstorms, but predictive models of turbulence are difficult to create and cockpit displays often are plagued by false returns from ground-based clutter.

The Webinar was to examine five technologies, all of which transcend today’s most advanced radar systems because they add predictive weather analysis and hazard detection features. These technologies include Directed Sequential Hazard Assessment, Flight Path Hazard Analysis, Storm Top Information, Predictive Overflight Protection, and Enhanced Turbulence Detection.

According to FAA’s Aviation Weather Office, bad weather accounts for 70 percent of flight delays and 21 percent of accidents. Up to two-thirds of weather-related delays are potentially avoidable. Weather remains a huge problem for the National Airspace System, spurring research efforts by numerous government agencies, academia and industry.

Problem is, the technological approach has been fragmented in the past, which is why our Webinar examines new avionics technologies that combine the latest weather hazard detection advancements into a cohesive package in the cockpit.

Indeed, the real weather challenge isn’t a lack of technological wherewithal — it’s how to practically integrate already proven technologies that are available today to create a common situational awareness. You can learn more about these issues, by tapping into our free archived Webinar.